Guthrie, Oklahoma was the home of F.E. Houghton, the wealthy founder of Cotton Oil Company. Mr. Houghton was also the owner of several general merchandise stores in the area, and of the first car dealership in the state of Oklahoma.

In 1906, with half a dozen children, and no plans to stop producing Houghtons, Mr. Houghton started building a beautiful home with four floors, and a total of 8,000 square feet.

There is a popular story that Augusta Houghton, eight-year-old daughter, died of an overdose of opium based cough medicine (quite common in those days) given to her by a maid or a nurse. However, I cannot find a record of the date of her death.

The Houghtons sold the home in the 1920s, and it was turned into a boarding house for a short time. In the late 1920s, the house was known as Smith Funeral Home. In the mid-1980s, the building was purchased by Becky Luker, who made extensive renovations with her two sons, to restore the house to its original condition, resulting in the current Bed and Breakfast Inn.

It is believed that two spirits reside at the Inn: Augusta Houghton, and F. E. Houghton. As soon as the construction of the house was finished, between ten p.m. and midnight, little footsteps going up and down the back stairs were often heard. The sound of the playroom door was heard to open and close frequently.

One of the Luker boy’s toys would always be found all over his bedroom on the third floor every morning, although they had been put neatly away the night.

The Lukers called the police several times, before realizing that these weren’t living culprits causing the trouble.

Many visitors to the Inn claim to see a well-dressed man in the basement. He is wearing a suit and top hat, and smoking a cigar. Even the smoke can sometimes be seen hanging in the air of the basement.

One guest reported that a spirit helped her turn off the ceiling fan that she was unable to reach. She felt a heavy weight on the bed next to her, and the fan was then turned off.

The sound of a child running through the hall is often reported. Some guests say they feel little hands patting their cheeks at night while lying in their bed. A woman’s laugh is sometimes heard in the early morning hours.

The Lukers were visited by some of the Houghton children one day, who told them their sister had died there. They believed her ghost had inhabited the residence since her death long ago. Before August became ill, they used to climb the back stairs to play after the adults had gone to bed, between ten and midnight.

The Stone Lion Inn is said to be a beautiful bed and breakfast, with Murder Mystery Weekends most weekends. Something I found a little peculiar, but then I kind of enjoy peculiarities: the buffet is set up on the old porcelain embalming table from Smith’s Funeral Home.

An investigation was done in 2006 by several paranormal investigating teams for the show Ghosthunters, and their very interesting results, including video and audio clips can be found below.